Apple is the New Jicama

Though I may not have looked hard enough, I couldn't find jicama, the crunchy, sweet root vegetable, at the farmers' market this weekend. Still wanting to add snap and sugar to my corn and black bean salad for my BBQ, I decided to grab some fuji apples instead. While sweeter but not quite as crisp as diced jicama, the apples still worked. Though the dressing is full of citrus, I recommend rubbing the apple pieces with a cut lemon as you dice to further slow the browning. The picture to the left was taken when I ate the salad as leftovers last night, and the apples were still holding up quite well. Also, rinsing your beans prior to mixing ensures that their blackish-brownish juices won't stain the entire salad, allowing the other summer colors to shine.

Corn, Black Bean and Apple Salad
adapted from Bon Appetit July '04 and enough for 8-10 people as one of many side dishes

4 ears of sweet corn, boiled or grilled
3 medium carrots, diced
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 fuji apples, diced
juice from 1 lime
juice from 1/2 lemon
2-3 big slugs of olive oil
small handful of fresh basil

Into a large bowl, using a sharp knife, scrape the corn kernals off the cobs. Add the carrots, green onions, beans and apples. In a separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over corn/bean mixture and stir. If you aren't ready to serve it yet, cover and put in the fridge at this point. When you want to eat it, take it out and let it warm up for 10-15 minutes on the table, then tear the fresh basil leaves into pieces over the salad and gently mix in.

Erin's Kitchen Index: Soups, Salads, and Veggies